Wellington - It took just eight days for
New Zealand to lose its Covid-free status when two women who had
been given permission to leave quarantine early after arriving
from abroad tested positive for the coronavirus, authorities
said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has enjoyed enormous
popularity for her success at ridding the country of coronavirus
infection, said the government would review what happened, but
that it was clear checks were not adequate in this case.
"Vigorous testing is now taking place across those who were
in the quarantine facility at the same time, and those who may
have had any, even the remotest chance of contact (with the
women)," Ardern said in a Facebook Live post.
New Zealand had trumpeted its achievement last week of
becoming one of the first countries in the world to eliminate
Covid-19 and return to pre-pandemic normality, lifting all
social and economic restrictions except border controls.
The country requires all people arriving from abroad to
quarantine for 14 days to avoid reintroducing the disease. The
two women aged in their 30s and 40s had travelled from Britain
to visit a dying parent in Wellington on June 7, the director
general of health said in a news conference.
Both had gone into quarantine in Auckland after landing, but
had been given special permission to leave on compassionate
grounds, even though one had symptoms which she attributed to a
pre-existing condition. They tested positive after they returned
to quarantine.
The new cases ended a 24-day streak of no new infections in
the country.
Health Minister David Clark said he was suspending all
exemptions to the quarantine rules until he had confidence in
the system.
"Compassionate exemptions should be rare and rigorous and it
appears that this case did not include the checks that we
expected to be happening. That’s not acceptable.”
One family member of the women has been isolated in
Wellington. Staff at the hotel they women lived in would be
tested. Co-passengers on their flight, staff at Auckland airport
and anyone else whom the women met would be contacted.
The cases take the total number recorded in the country to
1,506. Deaths from the disease remain at 22, among the lowest in
the developed world.